ROME – For ITA Airways, the upcoming 2023 will be the year of significant investment towards the intercontinental market: the company will open new routes in the United States, with direct flights from Rome Fiumicino to San Francisco and Washington. The long-haul expansion is one of the major pillars of ITA Airways’ strategy, as it generates profitability but also enhances the short-haul connectivity, thus contributing to double the capacity of the company’s intercontinental network.
The new Rome Fiumicino – Washington route will operate from June 2 to July 2, 2023, with 5 weekly frequencies every Monday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday with departure from Rome Fiumicino Airport at 10:20 a.m. and arrival in Washington – Dulles International Airport at 2:20 p.m., local time. From July 4 to July 30, 2023, the flight will be operated every Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. From August 1 through October 28, 2023, however, the flight will be daily. Flights from Washington will be operated from June 2 to July 2, 2023, with 5 weekly frequencies every Monday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday departing at 4:20 p.m. and landing at Rome Fiumicino at 7:05 a.m. From July 4 to July 30, 2023, the flight will be operated every Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. The route will be operated daily from August 1 through October 28, 2023.
The two new intercontinental destinations to San Francisco will be operated with the Airbus A350, the company’s flagship, while the flight to Washington will be on the Airbus A330.
“We started with our flight operations 14 months ago and by November 2021 we had only one intercontinental destination in our network, New York, at a time when air transport was at a standstill due to the pandemic context. Today, we offer 9 intercontinental destinations in North and South America and Asia, and the new flights to Washington and San Francisco are proof of our growth,” said Fabio Maria Lazzerini, CEO and General Director of ITA Airways. “We expect passenger revenues in 2022 to exceed the value estimated in the budget, considering the reduction in the offered capacity versus forecasts due to the geopolitical context. The increase in destinations is a further confirmation that to achieve our goals it is necessary to focus on long-haul connections”.
“The new connections to Washington and San Francisco further enrich the intercontinental network of ITA Airways, which is one of the company’s main assets,” said Emiliana Limosani, Chief Commercial Officer of ITA Airways and CEO Volare. “With the launch of the new destinations, we consolidate the company’s expansion process towards the US market, the first international market for ITA Airways. The multiple offers from the Rome Fiumicino hub will allow us to be the reference carrier from the United States to Italy and via Rome to Europe and the Mediterranean for the Italian community and the main communities of the Mediterranean countries”.